Sir Keir Starmer has been warned that victory at the 2024 General Election will be impossible unless Labour can find a way of luring back millions of voters who defected to Boris Johnson's Tories in 2019.
The Labour leader was briefed by Deborah Mattinson, his Director of Strategy and a former pollster, on the huge challenge Labour faces if it is to win back trust avoid a fifth consecutive loss to the Conservatives.
Senior party figures told the Observer that Labour must adopt clearer, sharper, more uplifting messaging about the party's values and Sir Keir's vision, rather than throwing too many policy commitments at voters.
One insider told the newspaper: 'The message was that many people do not know what we represent. They think we have given them too much policy rather than telling them in simple terms how we'd improve their lives.'
Some in Sir Keir's team believe Labour is still suffering damage from the era of Jeremy Corbyn, which was mired in allegations of anti-Semitism, support for Islamist terrorists and which ended in defeat in 2019.
Sir Keir Starmer has been warned that victory at the 2024 General Election will be impossible unless Labour can find a way of luring back millions of voters who defected to Boris Johnson's Tories in 2019
The Labour leader was briefed by Deborah Mattinson, his Director of Strategy and a former pollster, on the huge challenge Labour faces if it is to win back trust avoid a fifth consecutive loss to the Conservatives. Some in Sir Keir's team believe Labour is still suffering damage from the era of Jeremy Corbyn, which was mired in allegations of anti-Semitism, support for Islamist terrorists and which ended in defeat in 2019
One frontbencher claimed: 'The pandemic has not helped Keir. It is has been difficult to get himself known. The party conference gives an opportunity to introduce him to the country. But there is no time to waste.'
Peter Kyle, MP for Hove, said: 'The truth is we need to speak with singular clarity about our policies and message and do so with colour that lights up the night sky. People will pay attention when we speak their language, not if we just continue to expect them to learn ours.'
Ms Mattinson is thought to have stressed the need to appeal to older, non-university educated people, many of whom voted to leave the European Union during the 2016 referendum on British membership.
She is also thought to have urged Sir Keir about the need to represent people and their communities, which have undergone severe economic hardship during the pandemic and who feel unrepresented by any party.
MPs speaking to the Observer said her analysis pointed to evidence that many voters were tiring of the Prime Minister and would be prepared to look at alternatives.
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